ABT's Nutcracker returns to BAMDecember 13-22, 2013

My high water mark for this Nutcracker is Hallberg and Murphy. But this year I wanted to see what Gomes and Part would do and I was not disappointed - that's a huge understatement. These couples are so different from each other that I wouldn't characterize one as being better than the other so suffice it to say that this performance was as breathtaking in its own way as the Hallberg/Murphy. I'm used to seeing Part with Stearns so it was thrilling to see what she can do with Gomes. And two such stunningly beautiful individuals. Btw, it looked as if Part had colored her hair a lighter brown with some auburn highlights. They both received sustained ovations and they looked overwhelmed with happiness. And I'll say it again - Roman Zhurbin can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. He was Grandfather at my performance and once more stole the show. I had taken a year off from this Nut and I left on cloud nine and so happy I had been there.

Wanted to add that they were videotaping the performance on Sat evening. My New Year's wish is that it will be released on dvd. So much of the ABT rep deserves to be immortalized and this one is definitely one of the best!

Wanted to add that they were videotaping the performance on Sat evening. My New Year's wish is that it will be released on dvd. So much of the ABT rep deserves to be immortalized and this one is definitely one of the best!

Barbara - thank you so much for reporting this! My first thought upon exiting the theater Saturday evening was that I wished the performance had been recorded. Perhaps it will only be logged in the archives, but I'm glad the performance will be immortalized nonetheless. With the advent of HD transmissions and Sirius broadcasts, the Metropolitan Opera's performances have been recorded at an unprecedented frequency over the past seven years. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for ABT and NYCB. How wonderful would it have been if one of this fall's Balanchine Black & White performances had been recorded?

It's hard to believe (or perhaps too easy to believe) that ABT's last commercial recording was the 2005 Swan Lake. Will we ever have films of David Hallberg, Veronika Part, and Diana Vishneva's inestimable contributions to ABT? Perhaps the DVD release model is no longer profitable, but I would be more than willing to pay for live streaming videos.